A Good Idea... or Not?

I receive a daily e-mail that compiles ideas sent in by people on random things such as how to save money, conserve energy, or be thrifty about certain things. Well they are numerous posts that will send in a picture of their pet and want to know the breed, or people will want to know how to do something, or might be looking for a certain recipe, or whatever they feel like asking the rest of the internet world. Well, one of the ideas posted today was a tip to help you not get lost in the parking lot. Read below:



Take Cell Picture of the Parking Lot Location of your Car
If you've ever tried to return to your car after shopping, and couldn't remember where you parked, then you'll appreciate this simple tip, so you won't spend precious time trying to find your car in a sea of others. Just take your cell phone out, snap a picture showing your location and shop 'til you drop knowing you won't be frantically trying to locate your car--especially in cold or rainy weather. An added advantage of not having to wander around searching is the safety issue. You need to get safely into your car as soon as possible.



Hmmm... so my first reaction to the post was I had to laugh because I did this just a couple months ago. If you need a refresher, click HERE.

Ok so while the author of this idea has a good idea for some, this would NEVER work for me! First of all, my cell phone is full of pictures and songs so I wouldn't have room on my phone to even take a picture of my car in the parking lot. And can you picture that? I mean really take a second to think about that - if a person got out of their car, stood back and was taking a picture of their car, what would you think about that person? My opinion would be is that they were a little wacky, but I would just walk past them and hope the cooky person didn't follow me. The next problem with taking the picture of a car in the parking lot is the fact that a parking lot is a parking lot. To me all the rows look the same and so even if I took a picture of my car, I wouldn't be able to tell what row it was in. And it's not like you can take a picture of the cars around you because there is a good chance those cars will be replaced by a different vehicle when you come out of the store.

Now I will give the author credit and say the person has a good idea about being safe in a parking lot. I make a habit when I am by myself to always have my keys in hand, finger ready to hit my car alarm if needed. I always lock my doors when I get in my car, then get moving as soon as possible. I don't sit there and organize my purse or write down my receipts in my check book, etc. I get the car in reverse so I can be on my merry way on to my next destination. I also pay attention to my surroundings and am cautious about people in a car parked beside mine. And if it is dark, I try to park under a security light. And most important, I usually have my cell phone in my pocket. That is my normal habit to carry my phone in my pocket, but I would at least have easy access to it in case of emergency. And that is what I do to be safe in a parking lot!

Now for my tip to finding your car in the parking lot you know since I've had lots of experience losing my car when I come out of the store ~ I have gotten in the habit of looking at the row number that I park in. Our lovely local Wal-Mart has a sign up with the rows numbered so all I have to do is make a mental note of what row I am and then my blonde butt is covered!